episode_0014

Central Library (3) ― Incheon Central Library, 3rd floor

There was a clattering sound of a disposable spoon scooping up a tuna can.

“Ugh, I think this kimbap has gone bad. Autumn sister, do you have anything else?”

“Kim Cheol-soo, you said that you should eat things that have an expiration date first. Don’t complain and eat with gratitude.”

How did that bastard survive until now?

It’s a bus bug that’s driven its luck to survive.

While watching Kim Cheol-soo frown, I handed the half-left can of tuna to Yoon A-young.

Yoon Ah-young, who had been eating up a can of tuna, was looking at the can of tuna I had handed over to her in surprise.

It was as if his eyes were silently asking if he was giving this to me.

Yoon Ah-young, whose face is bright red as she smiles brightly and nods, carefully takes the tuna can to herself.

“, thank you… .”

After whispering thanks, she puts her face back into the tuna can.

What, I ate like I starved for a week.

Oh, you were really hungry, weren’t you?

If I got hungry later, I just had to settle for points.

Although the food purchased with points was expensive, it was a much better choice than that sour gimbap in terms of taste and cleanliness.

A little after five o’clock, Kang San spoke to the sound of applause.

“Okay, I’ll end the day here. Thank you all for your hard work. Sleep well and do your best tomorrow.”

At the same time as those words were spoken, the sound of chairs being pulled rang out and people stood up.

Librarian Kim Eun-byeol collected trash such as tuna cans, and Seo Tae-san began exercising with dumbbells he brought from the corner.

Among the crowd that was slowly dispersing, Kang San waved his hand at me.

As I walked towards Kangsan, I felt someone gently grasping the hem of my clothes.

Just like Yoon Ah-young did to Kang-san, she was now following me, holding the hem of my clothes.

Are you following me just because I gave you some food?

There really wasn’t any dog.

“Ah… Ayoung, you’re welcome too. I called you for a moment because of the night watch and other things I needed to know.”

“Let me start by saying thank you. I was just saying my honest thoughts, but you didn’t feel bad, right?”

“, thank you. Mr. Kang San.”

In response to our gratitude, Kang San waved his hand to stop us.

“Ah, I am actually grateful that you came forward. I also believe that Ayoung is at least not a zombie.”

Look at that good-natured smile.

This group never survives for long.

As long as that kind of idiot is the leader of the group.

“Okay, first of all, you two will be the first to stand today. Mr. Ayoung, do you know what the first number is?”

“… Hey, isn’t this your first time?”

“Yes. All you need to know is that. Now, if a little more time passes, it will be dark and you won’t be able to see anything. In that case, use a flashlight. The flashlight is over there.”

Where Kang San’s finger was pointing, he saw flashlights neatly arranged on a bookshelf. And countless auxiliary batteries connected to smartphones.

“Haha, isn’t it amazing? These are all things Gaeul prepared. Are you meticulous? We also collected water on the 4th floor in preparation for water outages and power outages. You can simply wash your face there.”

With eyes full of surprise, I looked at Seong Ga-eul, who was leaning against the wall and looking at us with her arms crossed.

There must be a reason why the group was maintained even though it had a leader like that.

There was a competent staff attached.

If you think about these things slowly one by one, they are probably things you should prepare for for granted.

But now it’s only been a week since the zombie outbreak broke out.

As if it wasn’t enough to calm my panicked mind, I was also preparing for the future.

‘You have been appointed as the administrative head of our religion.’

Seong Ga-eul, who may have decided her fate, continued to scan us with her cold eyes.

It’s not like anything comes out when you look at it that way.

No, maybe I really realized through intuition my dark inner thoughts?

She was a really fun woman.

At that time, Lee Gyeong-min came whimpering and carrying a container.

“Kang San-hyung, I brought it.”

“Ah, good job. Go in and rest.”

“Hehe, yes.”

I don’t know why, but Seo Tae-san called out to Lee Gyeong-min, who was about to disappear in a hurry.

“Kyungmin.”

“… Yes, yes!”

“Where are you going? I have to exercise with my brother.”

“Ha, hahaha. I still feel a bit like I sprained my leg today… .”

“When things like this happen, I get away like a snake. … Let’s go.”

“Soo, good luck!”

Kang San, who was watching Lee Gyeong-min disappear like the wind, took out a hiking stick from a container.

“Uh, this is an emergency weapon to use if something really happens. There were originally a lot of better ones… .”

Kang San caressed the hiking stick with a bitter look.

“What… Right now we don’t have many proper weapons.”

Well, the combat team that went out for ‘farming’ was armed with strange book armor and baseball bats.

This was no different from the act of almost giving up arms.

Kang San said he had other effective weapons, but he doesn’t anymore.

‘The people who were torn from the group and went to the shelter took their weapons and left.’

Even if you didn’t watch it, it was a video.

But that doesn’t make sense unless he stole it and left at night.

No, in a world like this, who would hand over a weapon?

“Whoosh― Whoosh―”

Seo Taesan’s massive muscles were seen, sweating profusely all over his body.

With a guy like that hanging around Kangsan, what kind of guy could have taken a weapon?

‘Fuck, what’s wrong with that bastard sleeping next to me?’

I desperately prayed that I wasn’t the one who fell asleep with the smell of sweat from an athletic cub.

The smell of a boy’s sweat was something I hated so much.

After handing over the hiking sticks and the smartphone to use in an emergency, I moved to the first floor following Kang San’s guidance.

On the railing of the moving stairs, a half-melted candlestick flickered with flames.

And a table and two chairs in the first floor lobby. And in the center, there was a drum burning books.

“There are so many books, so you don’t have to worry about the darkness at night.”

Despite the lack of electricity, steady efforts were made to secure visibility.

“The clock is over there, so check the time. hmm… I’m going now, so hand it over to the next person in 2 hours. Probably Taesan, as I recall, but Taesan has been exercising for a while, so I don’t think he’s sleeping. Well then, good work.”

Perhaps because I was happy at the thought of resting, I left Gangsan, who was climbing the stairs two at a time, and sat down on the prepared chair.

A little while later, I heard Yoon Ah-young sitting down on another chair.

Thump- thump-

Only the sound of sparks popping from drums decorated the quiet space.

I played around with the hiking sticks and waited for Yoon Ah-young to speak.

“… Thank you for your help.”

“Well, it’s natural for ‘same awakeners’ to be together.”

“… Ah.”

He seemed embarrassed by my sudden informal language, but I didn’t bother to apologize.

From now on, it was a time of one-sided enlightenment.

I began to appropriately dramatize what had happened from the moment I woke up.

By killing zombies, you raise your stats and create skills.

It was a natural thing to do as an awakened person, but it must have been an unfamiliar world to Yoon Ah-young.

Although I am not confident that her speaking skills are that great, I could see Yoon Ah-young concentrating as if the experience was spectacular in its own way.

From an unknown moment, I was talking to her face to face.

I am once again in her eyes.

Wedge- Wedge-

In the part where the zombie was killed with a kitchen knife spear, a hiking stick flew through the air like a witch’s wand, as if reenacting it.

She was immersed in my story as if she were watching a hero movie.

Little by little, the physical distance between her and me decreased.

I gently held her hand as she was concentrating on the story for a long time.

“… Hehe!”

Her body flinched loudly, making a strange noise.

But I continued the story more calmly.

After squirming for a moment and trying to pull her hand back and forth, I finally felt that Yoon Ah-young was slowly withdrawing the strength she had given to her hand.

Normally, it would have been a skinship that would have been criticized as improbable even in the past, but for me, it was absolutely necessary.

Perhaps love and religion have many similarities.

He had to be faithful, devout, and willing to accept anyone entering his space.

I needed to be imprinted on Yoon Ah-young both as a religion and as a man, so this kind of skinship was an essential element for me.

The story continued with our hands held together until we reached the part where I levitated my body using telekinesis.

When Yoon Ah-young told me that I flew over Incheon, she scolded me and told me not to lie.

It slowly began to show that he was somewhat comfortable with me.

I stood up and slowly lifted my body into the air as if to demonstrate.

Yoon Ah-young, who was looking at this with wide eyes, asked if she could make it fly too.

I nodded and activated my telekinesis, and she floated in the air, struggling around as if it was amazing, then bursting into laughter.

After placing her on the ground, he sat down and naturally held her hand.

She refused no more.

I began to tell her about the things I had observed while flying with telekinesis, embellishing them appropriately.

Military and civilians being destroyed by zombies.

As I described that scene, I put a lot of heat into my words.

I repeated, looking into her eyes.

‘Ordinary humans who were attacked by zombies were so inferior.’

‘But we have special abilities to fight against zombies. We are more special than humans.’

‘So we must guide these people in the zombie world.’

The story was repeated as if brainwashing.

She said nothing as the story continued.

He didn’t stop me from saying it, but his eyes didn’t seem to agree with me either.

The word ‘non-believer’ came to mind when the system activated the [Sanctuary Declaration].

He looked at his lowered head as if he was reluctant and clicked his tongue slightly.

As expected, it was not a task that could be done all at once.

He let go of his joined hands and stood up, noting that two hours had passed before he knew it.

I smiled slightly as I saw Yoon Ah-young following me as I started to climb the stairs.

If once doesn’t work, twice. third time.

Until you finally believe what I say is ‘true’.

Originally, when it came to brainwashing, repetition was the most important thing.